The present invention relates to a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material containing a 4-equivalent magenta color image forming polymer coupler latex capable of coupling with an oxidation product of an aromatic primary amine developing agent. More particularly the invention relates to a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material containing a 4-equivalent magenta color image forming coupler which can sustain original preferred photographic properties even when it is brought into contact with formaldehyde gas during storage.
Recently, furniture and construction materials processed with formalin, adhesives containing formalin as a hardening agent, goods made of formaldehyde resins, leather goods tanned with formalin, clothes treated with formalin as a sterilizer or a bleaching agent, and the like are frequently utilized in daily life. Therefore, there are many opportunities for conventional photographic light-sensitive materials to be brought into contact with formaldehyde gas released from these daily necessities.
In general, a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material is composed of a support having coated thereon some silver halide emulsion layers each of which has sensitivity in a different region of the spectrum and which contains a coupler capable of reacting with an oxidation product of a color developing agent to form a dye. For example, the material might contain silver halide emulsion layers each of which is sensitive to blue light, green light or red light and contains a yellow coupler, a magenta coupler or a cyan coupler, respectively, in a conventional case. After exposure to light, the photographic material is subjected to color development processing to form yellow, magenta and cyan color dye images in these silver halide emulsion layers respectively. In such a multilayer color photographic material, it is requested that each silver halide emulsion layer be well balanced with respect to sensitivity and gradation, in order to obtain an excellent color image. It is also desired that the photographic properties of the photographic material are not changed during storage for a long period of time either before or after exposure to light until it is subjected to color development processing.
However, when a conventional silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material is brought into contact with formaldehyde gas before color development processing, not only is the coupler incorporated therein consumed by the reaction with formaldehyde but an undesirable product is also formed. As a result, degradation of the photographic properties, for example, decrease in color density, increase in color stain and fog, etc., occurs. The degradation of photographic properties due to formaldehyde gas is serious in the case of the so-called 4-equivalent couplers having an active methylene group. Particularly, magenta couplers tend to be adversely affected with formaldehyde.
It has been proposed that a compound which reacts with formaldehyde be incorporated into a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material containing a coupler for the purpose of preventing the degradation of photographic properties due to formaldehyde gas. However, known compounds for preventing the degradation of photographic properties due to formaldehyde gas in silver halide color photographic light-sensitive materials containing an oil-soluble 4-equivalent magenta coupler, as described in Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 34675/71, 38418/73 and 23908/76, U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,431, Research Disclosure, Vol. 101, No. 10133, etc., only have a slight ability with respect to fixing formaldehyde gas. Therefore, sufficient effects cannot be obtained. Further, when they are used in a large amount, a disadvantage is encountered. More specifically, film properties of the photographic light-sensitive material are degraded.